ToroDev’s initiated Rural radio magazines engaging & making leaders accountable

Rural radio magazine is a program ToroDev initiated in Rwenzori sub region where marginalized groups of people especially women and children are reached from their communities to have their voices recorded and amplified live on ToroDev supported radio programs. The voices of marginalized groups are recorded and duty bearers reached to get their responses on the issues raised by these groups of people or individuals. The program has been on-going for about four (4) years to-date and there has been levels of improvement in relation to service delivery as a result of these rural radio debates.

On 3^rd September,2016 the moderator of ‘listeners forum’ program on Jubilee radio travelled to Kyegegwa district where Ugandans close to 5000 people were repatriated from Sango Bay in Tanzania and are now settled in Kazinga-Rwentuha in Kyegegwa district.

The camp where about 5000 repatriated Ugandans are living

The only water source for the people in the camp 

This was as a result of the vice chairperson Kyegegwa district and Rwentuha sub county district councilor Hon. Muhango expressing concerns on the situation the people in his sub county were going through when he was hosted on ToroDev supported weekly radio talk shows to share his plans for the people of Kyegegwa and in particular Rwentuha sub county for the 2016-2021 term of office.

People in the camp raised issues of congestion especially as the government plans to share the piece of land occupied by some people already with the repatriated people, access to health service especially for children and women, access to education, entrepreneurship & innovation, etc.

Some people were reached on one on one to share their experiences in the camp and these are some of the concerns  shared; ‘’ the planned move of dividing the pieces of land we have with other people will retard the education of our children because we depend on agriculture to raise fees for them’’, said Rosemary Ndabalenda a citizen in Rwentuha sub county Kyegegwa district, ‘’ School going children are not attending school due to the long distances they have to walk because some of them are still young, we request government to provide accessible schools so that our children can learn and be responsible citizens in future. The water source available is about 4 kilometres away from the camp and it is not safe because it is not clean, this is putting the lives of the people at risk of water borne infections'', said Hon. Hellen Natumanya from Rwentuha.
 

A concerned citizen reacting during the rural magazine in Rwentuha Sub county

Hon. Hellen a Sub county Councilor from Rwentuha

''Access to health services is a problem here, drugs are not provided and some of the children miss immunization schedules which is a danger to their health, let government plan for us so that we are out of this situation’’, said Mr. Bangirana Godfrey chairperson LC 1 Kazinga central in Rwentuha sub county Kyegegwa district.

During the 2 hours discussion, listeners were given chance to call -in and share  their views in line of the discussion; ‘’ government through wealth creation program gave us seedlings to grow and  increase our household incomes, now they want to divide the little pieces of land we have, how shall we survive as farmers?’’, asked Proscovia Rwitunga a caller from Rwentuha in Kyegegwa district, ‘’ we need people to follow the right procedures to attain what they want as we prevail for them peace & order as the main role of police’’, stated District Police Commander, Afande Joel Tibanone from Kyegegwa.

Participants in the camp during the rural magazine

We are grateful to all our sponsors, donors & partners NED, SIDA, SPIDER, ICT4DEM, CIPESA & Jubilee radio for their continued support both financial & technical to have such service delivery programs run on radio stations.